CKAN MCP Server
@ondics
The CKAN MCP Server provides access to CKAN APIs through the Model Context Protocol. CKAN is core to the vast majority of Open Data portals worldwide: https://github.com/ckan/ckan
Overview
What is CKAN MCP Server?
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the CKAN API that enables browsing and managing CKAN data portals through MCP-compatible clients. It can be used with MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop, IDEs, or other AI applications to interact with CKAN data portals.
How to use CKAN MCP Server?
Install Python dependencies with pip install -r requirements.txt. Set the CKAN_URL environment variable (and optionally CKAN_API_KEY). Run the server directly with python mcp_ckan_server.py or use Docker (build with docker build -t ckan-mcp-server . and run with environment variables).
Key features of CKAN MCP Server
- List and search CKAN packages/datasets
- Show details of specific packages
- List and show organization details
- List groups and tags
- View resource details
- Check site status and system information
- Provide API documentation and server configuration resources
Use cases of CKAN MCP Server
- Discover and search datasets on a CKAN data portal
- Browse organizations and their associated datasets
- Retrieve metadata for specific resources and packages
- View system status and API documentation through AI assistants
- Manage data catalogs via MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop
FAQ from CKAN MCP Server
What are the system requirements?
Python 3.8 or higher and pip (Python package installer) are required.
How do I configure the CKAN URL?
Set the CKAN_URL environment variable to the base URL of your CKAN portal (e.g., https://demo.ckan.org).
Is a CKAN API key required?
No, the API key is optional. It is only needed for write operations.
What tools are available?
Tools are provided for packages (list, show, search), organizations (list, show), groups (list), tags (list), resources (show), and system (site read, status show).
How can I run the server with Docker?
First build the image (docker build -t ckan-mcp-server .), then run with docker run -e CKAN_URL=... -e CKAN_API_KEY=... ckan-mcp-server. Docker Compose is also supported.
